Cleveland Browns fans have been pained with how the whole Baker Mayfield situation went down back in 2022. At first, it felt like the Browns might have been onto something by moving on from Mayfield given how things went for him in Carolina. Once he joined the Buccaneers in 2023 and it became clear that Deshaun Watson wasn’t the answer in Cleveland, however, the decision became painfully obvious: The Browns had screwed up.
Mayfield has been balling out in Tampa Bay while the Browns have been stuck with Watson and various other options at the sport's most important position. It hasn't been a fun experience at all, to say the least.
It could get worse though.
With Mayfield and the Buccaneers unable to agree to terms on a new contract, it's looking more and more likely that the Browns' former number one pick will enter free agency next spring. If he does, don't count out a reunion to the AFC North as a potential option.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk recently stated on the Pardon My Take podcast that he could see a scenario where Mayfield ends up with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yuck, yuck, and more yuck.
"I could see him taking less money to go to Pittsburgh," Florio said.
Baker Mayfield joining Steelers would be worst-case scenario for Browns
This isn't the first time that Florio has linked Mayfield to the Browns' arch-nemesis. Back in July, he said during a radio interview in Pittsburgh that he hoped the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback would end up in the Steel City.
"Mayfield is an interesting cat, and I hope he ends up in Pittsburgh," Florio said during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan in July. "This guy will bet on himself because he has and he's won. That's why I think the [Buccaneers] got to be careful, because they think they're going to offer him more than anyone else, but if you give him freedom, he has the right to take less from a team like the Steelers if he chooses to do so just to prove a point to the Buccaneers."
This would not be fun for Browns fans but, let's face it, it's something that could realistically happen. The Steelers have Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback for the 2026 season and he's made it pretty clear that this is the end of the road for him. With Mayfield being a free agent next year and the Steelers having an opening, it'd make sense if the two sides joined forces.
For Mayfield, it'd give him a chance to stick it to multiple teams here, including the Browns. He'd get to face his old team twice a year and really show them up and prove once and for all that they made the wrong decision moving on from him. He also could shove it in the Buccaneers' faces for not paying him when they had the chance.
While Mayfield had a "down year" in 2025, he's still been a serviceable enough quarterback since leaving Cleveland. Meanwhile, the Browns have been left floundering at the position. If Mayfield were to join the Steelers, it would feel like he wasn’t finished getting his revenge on the team that gave up on him.
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